"Facebook has broken the barrier that distance once put in our way. And a writer in the diaspora may have more of a following in Yemen than a writer who lives here. Plus the freedom that writers can enjoy in exile has a positive impact on Yemeni literature as a whole."

"As for writers, there′s nothing they can do about the terrible situation in Yemen. They live under bombing and mortar fire, the same as everyone else, with the same shortage of basic necessities like water, food and electricity."

While she was in Iowa City, participating in the International Writing Program (IWP)'s fall 2013 residency, Yemeni poet and filmmaker Sawsan Al-Areeqe spoke with the program's "On the Map" series. The video interview was recently released on YouTube.

A recent Time article by Tik Root (@TikRoot) looks at "Yemen’s New Ways of Protesting Drone Strikes: Graffiti and Poetry." According to Root, a recent anti-drone poetry contest had as its prize $600 or "1% of the cost of a hellfire missile."